This disclosure relates to a repair method and a repaired article. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a repair method for providing a repaired article having properties that are substantially equal to or better than properties of the original article.
In many instances, there is a desire to repair an article rather than replace the article with a new article. For instance, airfoils used as blades or vanes in a gas turbine engine are relatively expensive. Due to the expense, repairing the airfoils may be more cost efficient than replacing the airfoils with new airfoils.
The erosion, wear, or corrosion may gradually change the original design geometry of the airfoil and degrade the aerodynamic efficiency of the airfoil. To repair the airfoil, the eroded, worn, or corroded section may be removed and replaced with a repair section to restore the aerodynamic efficiency. The repair section may be welded onto the airfoil and then machined to attain the original design geometry. Although effective, one potential drawback is that the heat from welding may negatively influence the mechanical properties of the repair section and airfoil. For instance, heat-affected regions of the repair section and airfoil may include undesirable microstructural phases that contribute to lower than desired mechanical properties.
Therefore, there is a continuing need for new repair processes that provide repaired articles having properties that are substantially equal to or better than the original properties of the article.